Name Age Place of Birth > Place of Death Newspaper Publication Date Submitter
RAGEN, Daniel95 Clairwell TIP,IRL>MT,USA CarlyleUB (IL) 24 Jun 1927 Vince Lampe 

Daniel Ragen Dies in Montana

Carlyle Union Banner, June 24, 1927

Submitted by Vince Lampe

The death of Daniel Ragen, one of the Pioneer Settlers of Clinton County, who was well known in Carlyle and throughout the county, occurred at the home of his son, Daniel J. Ragen of near East Helena, Montana Sunday following an illness incident to old age, after having reached the ripe old age of 95 years, 4 months and 5 days.

The body was brought to Carlyle and arrived here Thursday. It was taken to the home of his son, William Ragen, formerly sheriff of Clinton County in the northwestern part of Carlyle, where it lay in state until nine o’clock this Friday morning when funeral services were held at the St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Interment was in the St. Mary’s Cemetery.

Daniel Ragen was born at Clairwell in the County of Tipperary, Ireland February 14, 1832 and was the son of Daniel and Johanna Ragen. He came to this country when he was 19 years of age and first settled in North Adams, Mass. where he was united in marriage in 1854 with Mary O’Neill and the couple afterward went to St. Louis. After living in St. Louis for a few years, he and his wife came to Clinton County which was about 1859. They settled on a farm in Irishtown Township and Mr. Ragan followed farming until he gave up the same and sold out.

The death of his wife occurred May 10, 1891 and since then Mr. Ragen had divided his time with his children, spending the greater portion with his son Daniel near East Helena, Montana where his death occurred. He was the father of four children, one of whom, Mrs. John Ogle, whose death occurred in 1897, has with the wife and mother, preceded him to the grave. The surviving children are Ed of near Townsend, Mont., Daniel of East Helena, and William Ragan of Carlyle, the ex-sheriff of Clinton county. There also survives a brother, Peter Ragan of Devils Lake, N.D., 16 grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren and a host of other relatives and friends.

The passing away of "Uncle Dan", as he was familiarly known, marks another Epoch in Clinton Co. history. Coming here when the County was a vast wilderness, he saw it grow into villages and cities and land where once the "Lords of the forest" stood replaced by cultivation and grass and grain grown. Despite the hardships of his early life, "Uncle Dan" weathered the storm, bore his early trials and tribulations with the utmost patience and had almost rounded out five score years when his cares were ended. Loved by all who knew him for his kind and gentle ways, another useful life has gone to it’s reward.

The Carlyle Union Banner joins the many friends of the bereaved in extending deepest sympathy to them in their hours of sad affliction.

The Union Banner article was supplemented by data from the Helena Daily Independent, 20 Jun 1927, page 5. They stated that Daniel came to this country in 1853 and that he went to Montana around 1912. 

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